Arsenal (1) 4 - 1 (1) EvertonHighbury. Saturday 16th October 1999FA Carling PremiershipPreview
Arsenal (1) 4 - 1 (1) EvertonHighbury. Saturday 16th October 1999FA Carling Premiership
scorers: Dixon 42 Collins 15
Suker 54 60
Kanu 90
Arsenal:
Seaman
Dixon Adams Keown Winterburn
Parlour (Ljungberg 75) Vieira Grimandi Overmars (Silvinho 65)
Bergkamp (Kanu 79) Suker
Arsenal got some good early possession, and despite Everton's
defending deep and in numbers we managed to create some
dangerous moments.
From a congested centre, Grimandi hit a lovely first-time ball out to the left wing and Overmars. He brought it inside where things got tight again before Suker, on the edge of the area, sprayed it wide to Dixon on the right. Suker moved forward but Lee's dangerous cross was cut out by a defender's head and just missed the goal for a corner. The corner from our left came to Parlour on the far side. Under challenge and with the ball bouncing high, Ray never quite got it under control, but he did well to win another corner. Suker took the corner, from our right this time, and it swung in just missing the far post, with no-one there to prevent the goal if he's managed to curve it a little more. Bergkamp burst through the middle from the half-way line and possibly should have done better than pull a shot wide, but he did have 4 defenders in attention and they were probably blocking the pass to Suker, free to Bergkamp's right. The attacks were being shared in this early spell, and on 15 minutes Everton won a free-kick a couple of yards outside our penalty area just left of centre. John Collins hit it perfectly, over the wall and swinging in, just inside Seaman's top right hand corner of the goal. Dave went the right way but it was just too good. Everton started to have a bit more bite than us, passing the ball nicely and being let down repeatedly by Kevin Campbell's falling for his old team-mates' offside trap. We still had our chances though. Bergkamp showed some nice control keeping the ball on the edge of their box, but it only served to give the defenders time to get in and block his shot. It came out to Winterburn on the left who brought it forward and hit a rocket of a shot from outside the box which was blocked by Gough (it looked like it hit his hand but it didn't look deliberate). On 20, Keown's head beat Campbell to a high ball into our panelty area, but it only fell to Hutchison who chested it down and hit a sweet 20 yarder on the volley and on the turn which found Seaman understandably surpised. In the end H did well to scramble it past the base of his left hand post for a corner. A blue shirt got a free head to the corner but could only direct it well wide. Adams went on a run up the middle, but ran into trouble in the form of a crowd of defenders on the edge of their box. Maybe he should have had a poke at goal, or laid it off, but I felt that Bergkamp also could have done more to make himself available to Tone's left. Winterburn was caught out of position on one his forays forward, and they moved the ball swiftly to the hole on their right wing. Possibly because it looked like the ball might go out, Campbell had a free run at it. He kept it in and moved inside dangerously, with several blue shirts lining up in the box for the cross. But just in time Grimandi got back to make the tackle, and in an instant the ball was with Overmars up the same wing. He hit a beautiful diagonal ball forward into the path of Bergkamp but Gerrard in the Everton goal read it well and came out sharply to claim. Parlour was losing the ball repeatedly down the right, but on the left Overmars looked to have the beating of everyone and we kept threatening down that side. Some interplay with Suker saw Overmars bringing the ball square into space along the 12 yard line but when the shot came it was tame and straight at Gerrard. Another great run from Overmars ended with a cut-back towards Bergkamp in a crowded area, when a shot from Marc might have been more rewarding. Bergkamp chased an over-hit cross into the left corner and pulled it back nicely to Overmars. His cross came out to Vieira whose low drive appeared to be deflected wide of the post (although a goal-kick was given). On about 40 minutes another over-struck cross, this time Overmars striking from the left, ended up with Parlour doing really well to keep the ball in on our right wing. His cross came out to Winterburn who skipped towards goal and was brought down just outside the box to the left of centre. Bergkamp hit the free-kick over the wall and it crashed down and out off the underside of the bar. Dixon was running in and bundled it over the line - I'm not sure what part of his anatomy it hit first but he booted it high into the net for good measure. The few remaining minutes were all Arsenal, and we looked set for another. But unfortunately it got slowed down by an injury to Grimandi. Still, the second half started and continued in the same vein, and before long we were wondering how we'd ever been worrying about the result. Bergkamp was fouled on the right touchline but the ref played advantage and he brought it froward only to run into a crowd on the edge of the box. From a distance it looked like he'd just lost control but the free-kick was given and this time, from right of centre, Suker took it and forced a superb fingertip tip-over from Gerrard. A couple of minutes later Bergkamp had another shot, pulled marginally wide. Then Dennis linked up well with Parlour on the right, ending with Ray winning a corner. suker ran over to take it, winding the home fans up into a frenzy as he went (don't you just LOVE his attitude?). The corner was cleared but then won back, and Dams battled for it on the edge of the area before poking it forward and left into space for Overmars. Marc whipped it to the far post wher Suker rammed it home. An extraordinary run from Parlour, cutting in from the right wing and beating all and sundry, ended with him blasting it high and wide from close range. To be fair, he was falling as he struck it, and he had to try to shoot home with the outside of his boot which was always going to be tricky. If he'd scored it would have been goal worthy of any of our more illustrious strikers. Dennis was sent clear down the middle by a lovely Suker flick, and with only the keeper to beat he tried to place it low into the corner. But Gerrard had narrowed the angle and the low shot was placed too close to him so he managed to get enough on it to push it wide. Two Everton players colliding in the centre circle created another chance for Dennis, but this time a defender got just back in time to make a great tackle just inside the box. Another Parlour shot flashed across the face of goal, from my vantage point it looked like he'd hit it well wide but seeing as a corner as given I can only assume the shot was closer than it looked. Frustrated to have lost their grip on the game so completely, Everton kept pressing forward when they could, and this was creating more and more space for us to work in. On 60 minutes Vieira broke from our half, and slipped the ball to Bergkamp on the left just before the box. Dennis whipped it in to the far post like Marc had done before, and this time Davor controlled the ball before once agains blasting it home with his trusty left boot. With the game safe, Wenger brought Silvinho on for Overmars (presumably bearing in mind the way Marc worried Barca in the Nou Camp, and wanting to protect him for Tuesday). And shortly after Kanu came on for Bergkamp. He nearly got on the scoresheet straight away, when Gough's casual back-pass put Gerrard in trouble, but the keeepr just got there before the big Nigerian. Grimandi was having a superb game alongside Vieira in midfield, and it's a shame he won't be available for the midfield in the next 3 European games. He had our next effort, driving a shot wide from 25 yards. As a measure of our dominance, it deflected off Lee Dixon, on the edge of their penalty area! Then Gerrard pulled off an extraordinary treble save. Parlour was put clear on the right and the keeper came out to block his piledriver of a shot. It came out to Suker on the left and he tried to slot it through the crowded box along the ground only to be denied at the last by the goalie's boot. But it came out to Kanu back on the right and his rocket of a shot brought the best save of the three, Gerrard having to stretch to tip it over the bar. Unbelievable goalkeeping. On 75 Ljungberg came on for Parlour, who had made up for his tendency to give the ball away early in the game with some excellent direct attacking play as well as some telling momnents defensively. Winterburn played a nice 1-2 with Silvinho, the latter's touch being a back-flick which drew the defence apart beautifully. Nige brought the ball into the box and fired a shot which Gerrard did well to save at his near post. Silvinho, who had a superb 25 minutes, then came up with a classy turn and shot from the edge of the box which flashed just wide. As injry time began, Keown brought the ball out from defence and clipped it wide for Ljungberg on the right. Freddie did brilliantly to keep it in (and keep possession), and hit a cross towards Suker on the left hand side of the box. His cushioned nod-down found Kanu on the right and he drove home for number 4. Good performances all round, especially if you forget much of the first 40 minutes. To be frank we were lucky we were playing Everton today and not Barcelona. But if we can play like the second half, we'll trouble anyone. I've mentioned Grimandi's great game already, but my man of the match has to go to young Nigel Winterburn who was everywhere, and superb everywhere, for the full 9 minutes. Looking for a left-back Mr Keegan?
Result : Arsenal (1) 4 Everton (1) 1
Scorers: Dixon 40, Suker 54,61, Collins 16
Kanu 90
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Winterburn, Keown, Adams; Grimandi, Vieira,
Parlour, Overmars; Bergkamp, Suker
Subs: Silvinho (Overmars 65), Kanu (Bergkamp 69),
Ljungberg (Parlour 76), Henry, Lukic
Everton: Gerrard, Ball, Gough, Unsworth, Weir, Collins, Xavier,
Gemmill, Barmby, Campbell, Hutchison
Subs: Cleland (Unsworth 79), Cadamarteri (Gemmill 78),
Watson, Johnson, Simonsen
Att: 38042
Ref: Steve Dunn (Bristol)
A stunning 2nd half display from Arsenal, comfortably the best I've seen
from the Gunners this season, and somewhat at odds with much of what had
gone before the half time break. The attacking and movement was
irresistible at times and Everton had their keeper to thank for keeping
the score down to respectable proportions.
Arsenal started the first half reasonably well, having the better of possession and chances in the opening 10 minutes or so. An Everton defender headed Dixon's cross a whisker wide of the post, Vieira headed just over the bar from a corner, and another of Suker's corners from the right very nearly went directly in, narrowly missing the far post. Then some lovely crisp first time passing in midfield ended with Grimandi's superb pass sending Bergkamp away on a run. The Everton defence seemed to open up before him and he got all the way into the area before hitting a shot across Gerrard which was a yard or so wide of the far post. Everton though were also looking quite bright, and Gough had a free header from a Barmby free kick from the right which he mistimed, and the ball looped gently into Seaman's arms. The Everton fans at the other end seemed to think it was going in because a roar died quickly in their throats. They were cheering for real not long afterwards though. Hutchinson went down just outside the area, apparently after a trip by Grimandi and Collins stepped up to curl a magnificent free kick round the end of the wall and right into the top corner. He couldn't have placed it any better and Seaman had little chance. The vistors then grew in conference and had the better of the next 15-20 minutes. Hutchinson hit a volley from 25 yards as Adams seemed to stand a little too far off him, and the ball dipped alarmingly just in front of Seaman as he plunged in front of his left hand post, and the England keeper did well to palm it round the post. Unsworth then sent a free header from the corner narrowly wide of the far post, and Campbell also threatened several times within a short period to break clear of Arsenal's offside trap. Fortunately the flag went up each time, but I'm not sure it was always justified. Gradually though Arsenal got themselves together and had more and more of the game as the last 15 minutes of the half unfolded. Overmars did well on the left a couple of times, Adams went on one rampaging run forward, just failing to get on the end of a return pass from Bergkamp, and then the two Dutchmen combined well down the left to set up Vieira for a shot from the edge of the box. He hit a tremendous effort with the outside of his foot, but it just bent away too much at the last moment and went wide of the far post by no more than an inch or two. The pressure told 5 minutes before the break. Winterburn went charging forward and was tripped just outside the area by Xavier, going down with a commendably dramatic dive. He was obviously taking notes from the bench at Upton Park the other weekend. Bergkamp curled the free kick over the wall and beat Gerrard, but the ball cannoned back off the crossbar. Fortunately that well known goal poacher Lee Dixon was following up and the ball bounced kindly off his chest and down for him to lash the ball into the empty net from 5 yards. Arsenal started the 2nd half like a whirlwind, tearing into Everton and after just over 15 minutes had scored twice and missed several other good chances as well. Early on Bergkamp did well, riding a foul on the right hand touchline before cutting in and eventually getting a free kick a few yards outside the area after another foul. Suker curled the free kick towards the far post, but Gerrard brilliantly got fingertips to it and the ball glanced over off the top of the crossbar. Soon afterwards Bergkamp dragged another good chance wide, and then another of his lovely passes put Parlour in down the right, and his cross was blocked at the expense of a corner. The corner wasn't properly cleared and Adams did well on the edge of the area on the left, poking the ball forward for Overmars to run clear onto. The Flying Dutchman whipped the ball back across the 6yd box and found Suker running in at the far post, and the one-legged Croat stabbed the ball home off the underside of the bar from the corner of the 6yd box with his left foot. Arsenal were now truly rampant. Parlour went on a great run, surging into the box past 2 or 3 defenders, working space for himself and leaving what looked a simple finish past the keeper with his left foot. He chose though to go for the spectacular and attempted to bend it in with the outside of his right, and blazed the ball wide from about 8 yards. A beautiful Suker flick as a defender clattered into him from behind then sent Bergkamp completely clear down the middle, but the Dutch master's attempt to place the ball past Gerrard was rather too deliberate and the keeper made another great save. Soon afterwards Parlour went close again, bursting into the box onto Suker's pass to fire in a tremendous angled shot, but Gerrard made another superb save, tipping the ball past the far post. The telling 3rd goal duly arrived soon afterwards. Vieira made another typically superb tackle just inside his own half to dispossess Weir, and surged powerfully forward before playing in Bergkamp in space on his left. The Dutch striker spotted his Croatian opposite number storming into space on the other side of the area and whipped over the perfect cross to find Suker in space at the far post. A perfect first touch with his right foot set the ball up for his left, and he finished clinically past Gerrard and into the far bottom corner. Silvinho and Kanu then came on in fairly short order, replacing Overmars and Bergkamp as Wenger looked towards Tuesday. Kanu soon put in Parlour again on the right, and he crashed another shot goalwards which Gerrard beat out. The ball fell to Suker though, and his shot was heading just inside the post until Gerrard stuck out a foot to block it. This time the rebound eventually reached Kanu, and he did well to stop it going over his head and hit a tremendous volley from the edge of the area as the ball dropped. Somehow though Gerrard had regained his feet and pulled off a fantastic save, tipping the ball over the bar. It was a quite astonishing triple save. Ljungberg came on for Parlour and Arsenal perhaps eased off in the final 15 minutes. They still made some good chances though, most notably when a lovely back-heel in the area by Silvinho sent in Winterburn, but Gerrard made another great save, palming the fullback's shot round the near post. It was injury time before Arsenal eventually got the deserved 4th goal, with a lovely move. Keown brought the ball out of defence, a quick one-two with Suker sent him into the Everton half, and he eventually managed to play the ball out towards Ljungberg on the right wing. The pass looked a little too strong but the Swede did well to keep it in and then chipped a little cross into the box to find the head of Suker. The striker directed a perfectly angled header into the path of Kanu as he ran in, and the Nigerian hit a sweet angled right foot volley across Gerrard and inside the far post. All in all, a highly satisfying afternoon's football. The whole team played well, particularly in the last hour, so I'm going to be lazy and give a more or less uniform score. The two players I would pick out though are Winterburn, who had a complete stormer of a game, and Suker who aside from his goals showed some lovely all round play and touch. Another thing worthy of mention was that there were no bookings in the match, rather ironic with neither side noted for being shrinking violets, and in a weekend when a record number of red cards was shown elsewhere in the league.
Seaman 8.0
Winterburn 8.5
Dixon 8.0
Adams 8.0
Keown 8.0
Grimandi 8.0
Vieira 8.0
Parlour 8.0
Overmars 8.0
Bergkamp 8.0
Suker 8.5
Silvinho 8.0
Kanu 8.0
Ljungberg 8.0
Derek
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